Steve Torrence NHRA Team aligns with Chris Kyle Frog Foundation

By Apr 23, 2015, 2:21 PM EDT
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Shared values are at the core of professional drag racer Steve Torrence’s announcement Monday that he is entering into a strategic partnership with the Chris Kyle Frog Foundation. Torrence’s goal is to increase awareness of the non-profit, which was founded by Chris’s wife Taya to carry on Kyle’s vision.

“Chris was all about God, family and country,” Torrence said. “He was passionate about those things and so am I. The fact that we’re both Texans and that we shared a love of the outdoors and of properly-used firearms made this association a no-brainer.

“I just wish Chris was here to see his dream of helping the families of military members and first responders coming true through the efforts of his wife and the foundation.”

Kyle, a Navy SEAL who served five tours of duty in Iraq, became the most decorated sniper in American military history. He was shot and killed at a shooting range in 2012 by a fellow veteran he was counseling at the request of the man’s family. Kyle wrote the book American Sniper, the inspiration for the blockbuster movie. A second Kyle-written book, American Gun, was completed by Taya and released after his death.

Torrence, a four-time winner on the NHRA pro tour, will debut a Chris Kyle Frog Foundation version of his Capco Contractors Top Fuel dragster when the Mello Yello Series moves to Houston this week (April 24-26) for the 28th annual O’Reilly Spring Nationals, one of the circuit’s two Texas stops. The foundation’s frog logo will be prominently displayed on the 330 mile-per-hour race car as well as on crew uniforms.

The foundation’s immediate goal is to fund a series of “Revitalization Retreats” for married military and first responder couples after deployment — opportunities allowing them to get to know each other again while adapting to changes that occurred during their time away from the family unit.

“Our military and first responders serve bravely, but they are struggling on the home front,” Taya Kyle explained. “Nearly three in four married veterans are likely to have had family problems after deployment and half say (their military service) had a negative effect on their marriages.”

“The experiences provided by the foundation are designed to give veterans an opportunity to re-connect with their spouses and remember what they love about one another,” she said. “Trees without roots fall over and sometimes those roots need re-generation. That’s what we’re here for.”

“It’s an honor for me and the team,” Torrence said of the association. “It’s a wonderful cause I know our fans will support. The military is a brotherhood and so is drag racing.”

Ford unveils a new Mustang for 2024 Le Mans in motorsports ‘lifestyle brand’ retooling

Associated PressJun 9, 2023, 7:00 PM EDT
Ford Mustang Le Mans
Ford Performance
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LE MANS, France — Ford has planned a return to the 24 Hours of Le Mans with its iconic Mustang muscle car next year under a massive rebranding of Ford Performance aimed at bringing the automotive manufacturer “into the racing business.”

The Friday unveil of the new Mustang Dark Horse-based race car follows Ford’s announcement in February (and a ballyhooed test at Sebring in March) that it will return to Formula One in 2026 in partnership with reigning world champion Red Bull.

The Mustang will enter the GT3 category next year with at least two cars in both IMSA and the World Endurance Championship, and is hopeful to earn an invitation to next year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans. The IMSA entries will be a factory Ford Performance program run by Multimatic, and a customer program in WEC with Proton Competition.

Ford CEO Jim Farley, also an amateur sports car racer, told The Associated Press the Mustang will be available to compete in various GT3 series across the globe to customer teams. But more important, Farley said, is the overall rebranding of Ford Performance – done by renowned motorsports designer Troy Lee – that is aimed at making Ford a lifestyle brand with a sporting mindset.

“It’s kind of like the company finding its own, and rediscovering its icons, and doubling down on them,” Farley told the AP. “And then this motorsports activity is getting serious about connecting enthusiast customers with those rediscovered icons. It’s a big switch for the company – this is really about building strong, iconic vehicles with enthusiasts at the center of our marketing.”

Ford last competed in sports car racing in 2019 as part of a three-year program with Chip Ganassi Racing. The team scored the class win at Le Mans in 2016 in a targeted performance aimed to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Ford snapping Ferrari’s six-year winning streak.

Ford on Friday displayed a Mustang with a Lee-designed livery that showcased the cleaner, simplified look that will soon be featured on all its racing vehicles. The traditional blue oval with Ford Performance in white lettering underneath will now be branded simply FP.

The new mark will be used across car liveries, merchandise and apparel, display assets, parts and accessories and in advertising.

Farley cited Porsche as an automaker that has successfully figured out how to sell cars to consumers and race cars in various series around the world while creating a culture of brand enthusiasts. He believes Ford’s new direction will help the company sell street cars, race cars, boost interest in driving schools, and create a merchandise line that convinces consumers that a stalwart of American automakers is a hip, cool brand.

“We’re going to build a global motorsports business off road and on road,” Farley told the AP, adding that the design of the Mustang is “unapologetically American.”

He lauded the work of Lee, who is considered the top helmet designer among race car drivers.

“We’re in the first inning of a nine inning game, and going to Le Mans is really important,” Farley said. “But for customer cars, getting the graphics right, designing race cars that win at all different levels, and then designing a racing brand for Ford Performance that gets rebranded and elevated is super important.”

He said he’s kept a close eye on how Porsche and Aston Martin have built their motorsports businesses and said Ford will be better.

“We’re going in the exact same direction. We just want to be better than them, that’s all,” Farley said. “Second is the first loser.”

Farley, an avid amateur racer himself, did not travel to Le Mans for the announcement. The race that begins Saturday features an entry from NASCAR, and Ford is the reigning Cup Series champion with Joey Logano and Team Penske.

The NASCAR “Garage 56” entry is a collaboration between Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet and Goodyear, and is being widely celebrated throughout the industry. Farley did feel left out of the party in France – a sentiment NASCAR tried to avoid by inviting many of its partners to attend the race so that it wouldn’t seem like a Chevrolet-only celebration.

“They’re going right and I’m going left – that NASCAR thing is a one-year deal, right? It’s Garage 56 and they can have their NASCAR party, but that’s a one-year party,” Farley said. “We won Le Mans outright four times, we won in the GT class, and we’re coming back with Mustang and it’s not a one-year deal.

“So they can get all excited about Garage 56. I almost see that as a marketing exercise for NASCAR, but for me, that’s a science project,” Farley continued. “I don’t live in a world of science projects. I live in the world of building a vital company that everyone is excited about. To do that, we’re not going to do a Garage 56 – I’ve got to beat Porsche and Aston Martin and Ferrari year after year after year.”

Ford’s announcement comes on the heels of General Motors changing its GT3 strategy next season and ending its factory Corvette program. GM, which unlike Ford competes in the IMSA Grand Touring Prototype division (with its Cadillac brand), will shift fully to a customer model for Corvettes in 2024 (with some factory support in the IMSA GTD Pro category).